Crow Servers
by Imagimanga
Summary: Kai Foxx has a fear, and it makes him weird. What he doesn't know is that he will be working in a place where he might possibly be the only normal person there. Most of these guys have height problems! For some reason the same people keep on visiting the restaurant. There's a boy wearing a rabbit head! A romance tag? You can't tell me Kai WON'T get involved. Warning: Both MxM & MxF
1. Pilot

**AN: Inspired by some fanart I saw that seemed to be on Tumblr (though I wasn't on Tumblr. Again, I'm not sure where it's from, and honestly, I'm too lazy to find out.). It was the Karasuno team working in a Starbucks (or a ripoff Starbucks). This, however, won't be set in a Starbucks ripoff but a restaurant.**

 **WARNING: This has romance! MxM! Nothing sexual, just plain romance and fluff.**

 **And the beginning of this chapter is mostly OC stuff, BUT I'LL GET TO OUR BABIES SOON, I PROMISE.**

* * *

 _Name: Foxx, Kai_

 _Age: 20_

 _Birth date: July 17_

 _Gender: Male_

 _Height: 174.3 cm (5'8.6'')_

 _Weight: 66.2 kg (145.9 lbs)_

 _Astrological sign: Cancer_

 _Blood type: O_

 _Ethnicity: Japanese + Hawaiian_

 _Nationality: Japanese_

 _-No work experience_

 _-No intimate relationship_

 _-Hardworking, introverted, shy, talkative when he opens up, obsesses over games, hates bugs, surprisingly devious/cunning, fears OR disgusted by..._

Kai Foxx gulped before entering the doors. What if he was rejected? He shook his head. I have to do this. He looked straight forward and inhaled sharply. To rid himself of the terrible doubts, he quickly opened the door and walked in. His eyes scanned the area, looking for a man. His eyes fell on a man with a smiling face walk toward him. Kai felt his hands shake as the man's face became clearer. The man had a strong cheekbone; sharp, blue eyes; and golden brown hair that swept down to hide the edges of his eyes. He was attractive and kind-looking. Kai gripped on his shoulder bag strap. He tried to force a smile, yet nothing could be shown on his face but fear. Yes, fear.

 _Name: Kai Foxx_

… _-Hardworking, introverted, shy, talkative when he opens up, obsesses over games, hates bugs, surprisingly devious/cunning, fears OR disgusted by attractive people_

Kai Foxx could have been normal if it wasn't for his two older brothers. The two elder siblings never knew what they were causing every time they brought their friends home. All of their friends were _sparkling_. They sparkled when they ate, when they walked, when they laughed, when they spoke, when they slept! And all those sparkling friends were very nice, of course... until Kai's brothers left the room. Now, they were always nice, sometimes too nice. When Kai's siblings left, the friends would immediately address the little boy in their sweet, beautiful voices. Even their voices sparkled. Kai loved playing with people... until those friends wanted to play with him.

"Kai! Come here, cutie!" The girls would squeal out of excitement to see the small boy turn with that bright smile of his. "Come here! Let's take some pictures together!"

"Kai! Don't you want to play some games with us?" The boys would call him over to play some games with them. "Do you want to pick your character first?"

"Kai? Do you want to read some books together?"

"Kai, let's go get something to eat."

"Do you need some help, Kai?"

"Hey, Kai, I'm your favorite person in the world, right?"

"No way, I'm his favorite!"

There are overbearing people in this world. Then there are overbearing people who bask in the light of Heaven and bathe in sparkles. In short, Kai was traumatized by these friends who did nothing but pester him when they could. And when his brothers entered the scene it was worse.

"Aoi! Itsuki! Can you get into the picture with Kai?"

"Aoi! Itsuki! Get over here and help us teach Kai how to play."

The pestering never ended until Kai decided to shut himself into his room and become a social wreck.

"What's the point of socializing, anyway?" Kai said aloud in the middle of the night watching a vocaloid video.

Unfortunately for Kai, he was still popular in middle school and had many friends. Thankfully the popularity with everybody stopped in high school, but he still feared his brothers' friends. The moment he knew they were in a five-foot radius of him, he would run.

Now, Kai was searching for a job because of his mother's pestering. "At least get a part-time job!"

Kai's mind flickers back and forth between the past and the present until the man addresses him. "You're Foxx, Kai, right?"

"Y- yes," Kai answers, looking away from the man's face.

"My name's Suzuki, Arata. I'm the manager," the man introduced. He ushered Kai to come over to the table he was standing beside. "Take a seat."

Kai glanced at the man quickly then at the table. He moved his legs towards the table begrudgingly, his hands still grasping the strap of his bag. "Thank you for having me today, Suzuki-san."

And thus, the interview started. Kai answered the questions quickly, hoping to get out of the building soon. One by one, each question gracefully slipped out of Suzuki's mouth.

"Foxx-san?" Suzuki asked, a smile lingering on his face. "Are you answering my questions without a single thought?"

Kai tried to gulp down his fear. "No..."

Suzuki stared Kai down. "Oh, I guess I was wrong. Sorry for inquiring that."

"It's okay," Kai managed to say. He carefully glanced at the man before looking down to the floor.

"Is there something wrong? Are you uncomfortable?" Suzuki asked.

Please end the interview already. "No, I'm fine." His hands started to break into a sweat, and he was afraid his emotions would start to show even more clearly. Why do I feel like, Kai thought, someone- or some _people_ are watching us?

* * *

"Is there something wrong? Have you lost your dignity? Is that why you're on the floor?" a tall, blond boy inquired.

"Nice, Tsukki!" a freckled boy said.

"Shut up!" a boy with fiery hair growled. "We're watching the interview."

"You three shouldn't be spying on them," a gentle-looking boy said.

"He's shy, I think," a boy with a buzz cut observed with a chuckle. "He won't look at Suzuki-san."

"Hmm," a boy with two-toned hair mumbled, "he's kind of acting weird."

"HINATA!" A boy with a menacing demeanor walked up from behind them.

"Shh!" the three spies shushed. The boy with fire hair jumped up and covered the boy's mouth with his hand. Everybody stood, quiet.

Two-toned-hair boy checked if the interviewer or the job-hunter noticed the noise. "We're clear," he said.

Fiery-hair boy lifted his hand from the other boy's mouth and sighed out of relief. "What's up with that, Kageyama-kun? Don't yell, or we might get found out."

"What's everybody doing?" A boy (or man... he looked very mature) appeared from the restroom. He rubbed the back of his head as he walked toward everyone. The three spies once again shushed everybody before proceeding to eavesdrop on the interview. "Ennoshita," the boy turned to a boy beside him, "what's going on?"

"They're spying on the interview," Ennoshita answered. "I tried telling them to stop, but they won't. And I don't want to get in trouble with Suzuki-san, so we might as well wait until Daichi comes."

"Me?" another boy clarified. The three spies suddenly tensed at the sound of his voice. The boy spotted the spies and his face turned dark. "What are you doing?"

The three boys quickly turned to face Daichi. "We're sorry! Don't kill us!"

"If you're going to kill them, do it a day before they get paid." The familiar voice rang out like a bell, and everyone turned to face the man.

"Suzuki-san!" The three spies shouted out in surprise. "We're sorry!"

Suzuki laughed; the sound echoed out joyfully. The sudden laughter caused the boy beside him to jump. "Oh, sorry, Foxx-san," Suzuki said. He turned back to the spies. "I don't even know why you're sorry! What is it?"

"Uh," Hinata mumbled, "it's nothing."

"Anyways, this is Foxx, Kai," Suzuki introduced. "Foxx-san, these are some of your co-workers."

"Hello," Kai greeted. He bowed. "Please take care of me from now on."

"While you all get acquainted, I'll go make sure everything is in order. Remember that even though Foxx-san will start work here soon, he's still older than you. Respect him, please," Suzuki said. He mad his way to the break room, leaving behind the boys.

Kai looked over the boys. They were all younger than him, but he could tell some were close to graduating high school. He felt there was something off, and it had to do with the fact that they were _boys._ Where were the girls? "May I ask..." Kai wondered, "where the girl workers are?"

"We have a few of them," Daichi answered, "but they leave early."

"Foxx?" the freckled boy repeated. "Isn't that _kitsune?_ "

"Eh?" Kai looked at the boy. The boy was taller than him and had green hair. A strand of hair stood at the top like an antenna. "My last name does sound like the English word for _kitsune_."

"Then, Kitsune-san," the two-toned-hair boy said. "Can we call you that?"

"Kitsune-san," the others repeated.

 _Eh?_

"Kitsune-san sounds cute," the gentle-looking boy said.

"You know what sounds cuter?" Ennoshita asked, a smug look on his face. Everyone faced him, wondering what he would say. "Ki-chan."

Everyone then faced back to Kai. They proceeded to repeat the new nickname. "Ki-chan."

"W- wait..." Kai stuttered, "what?"

"Ki-chan," the two-toned-hair boy introduced, "my name's Nishinoya Yuu!"

"Ki-chan," the buzz-cut boy said with a grin, "I'm Tanaka Ryuunosuke!"

"Nice to meet you, Ki-chan!" Hinata shouted. "I'm Hinata Shouyou!"

"Pleasure to meet you, Ki-chan," Kageyama said. "I'm Kageyama Tobio."

"Nice to meet you, Ki-kun," the gentle boy said, "I'm Sugawara Koushi." As Sugawara said this, a sparkle hit Kai in the eyes, causing him to rub at them.

"I'm Ennoshita Chikara. Nice to meet you, Ki-kun," Ennoshita said.

"Azumane Asahi," the mature boy said. "Nice to meet you, Foxx-san."

"Eh?" Tanaka mumbled.

"You ruined it, Asahi," Nishinoya said.

"Ah! Sorry!" Asahi said.

"I'm Sawamura Daichi. Pleasure to meet you," the boy introduced. "If you need any help, Ki-kun, you can ask me."

"I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi," the freckled boy said. "The one who isn't talking is Tsukishima. You don't have to worry about him, Ki-san."

Kai looked towards the tall blond and his jaw fell a bit. _Tsukishima... Kei?_

Tsukishima looked down to the significantly shorter boy. "Hey, Kai."

"Hey," Kai greeted, looking away, "Kei. Akiteru's doing well?"

Tsukishima paused then turned to walk away. "I guess."

* * *

 **AN: I kind of feel bad since I've got the story pretty much planned out just for my OC... But don't worry, I won't forget our babies. Long story short, I've got my OC's love story all in my head now. I don't want to be selfish, so I'll have a few chapters between their meeting. Those few chapters will be the blossoming of other flowers of love.**

 **Yes, Ukai and Sensei won't be working in the restaurant. This is an AU where the boys have NEVER played volleyball, but Ukai still works in the shop and Sensei is... a sensei. However, I will let them visit the restaurant in the future. So will other characters from the anime/manga. Btw, I still have no idea what the restaurant should be called...**

 **Remember that I do not own Haikyuu, I do not own Starbucks (even though it isn't Starbucks), and I do own Kai Foxx and Arata Suzuki.**

 **Long notes, but I had to explain some things. Imo, this chapter was awkward, but I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Will Kai ever get used to his new workplace? What exactly do I, the author, have in store for him? Maybe you'll find out in the next chapter: _Pumpkin Spice Latte._ See you latte!**


	2. Pumpkin Spice Latte

**AN: Hello, hello! It's me, again! This chapter has a special guest, and he will also be starring in my ending author's note. Hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

 **Pumpkin Spice Latte**

"Ha! I came in without a scratch!" Tanaka bragged. "Try to beat that!"

"I came in without _seeing_ any!" Hinata grinned. "What about you, Kageyama-kun?"

"I also came in without seeing any!" Kageyama growled. He glared at Hinata, whom followed likewise. They locked their menacing gazes.

Hinata lifted his arms up in a position to start a brawl. "Wanna fight?!"

Right then, they boys heard a jingle meaning that someone had entered the building. They turned to the front and found Kai entering the restaurant, a terrified look on his face.

"Hahaha!" Tanaka shouted. "Did you expect to see those crows, Ki-chan?"

"Crows?" Kai muttered. He stared at the boys, fear still lingering in his eyes. "I thought death decided to take me early." He shuddered when he remembered the black haze of feathers fly around him as he walked toward the building.

"Oh, is that Foxx-san?"

Kai looked behind the group of boys to see a girl walk up to him. She had black hair worn in a ponytail and adorned a pair of glasses to frame beautiful dark eyes. She smiled as she found her way to Kai.

"Hello, I'm Kiyoko Shimizu," the girl announced. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Kai studied her quickly, eyeing her from her head to her feet. _I'd rather go back out there than talk to her._ "Foxx Kai. I'll be in your care." He bowed, glad to look away for just a moment.

Kiyoko made her greetings and left the boys. Tanaka smirked and called Nishinoya over.

"Isn't she a beauty?" Tanaka asked. "Aren't you embarrassed that you share the same light as her from now on?"

"She's as beautiful as the sky on a moonlit night!" Nishinoya added.

The two boys studied Kai's face then growled. Kai might not look embarrassed, but he looked completely scared. How could he be scared of such a beautiful girl?!

"Hey!" Nishinoya shouted. "What makes you think you can act like that in front of Kiyoko-san?!"

"Hey, don't be so mean," Sugawara said, walking up to them along with Daichi. "We don't need you guys fighting."

"Sorry," Kai said. He looked down, feeling embarrassed and upset with himself. "Sorry I'm weird."

"Don't feel so bad." Daichi smiled and pat Kai's head. He saw Kai's flustered face and realized what he had done. "Um, how old are you?"

"I'm turning twenty-one soon," Kai mumbled, face red.

Daichi quickly lifted his hand away from Kai's head and turned red from the awkward situation. What a terrible moment for both Kai and Daichi. The younger-looking twenty-year-old politely escaped the situation and headed towards the back while the older-looking eighteen-year-old went out to scare away the crows.

Tanaka and Nishinoya chuckled at their dilemma, then were told off by Ennoshita. Everybody quickly returned to their stations before they could get in trouble.

* * *

"Ki-chan!" Hinata called from outside the break room. "Ki-chan, Sugawara is looking for you. He will show you around."

"O- oh," Kai said, still not accustomed to the new nickname, "thanks, Hinata-kun." Kai exited the break room and went out to the floor looking for Sugawara. Sugawara smiled at Kai, and again Kai rubbed at his eyes. Kai hoped this would end well.

"Ki-kun, you'll be out on the floor with Daichi and Kiyoko," Sugawara explained. "One of them would have took you around, but they're a bit busy at the moment. I'll be showing you around since I sometimes work on the floor." He paused, searching for a response from Kai. Kai nodded and Sugawara continued. "You know how it usually works, right? You find them a place to sit and write down their order. Once you've done that, you go to the kitchen," Sugawara walked to the back where the kitchen was, "and tell them the order. Stick the order here and you can continue orders until the kitchen calls you back. Take the order back to the correct customer and all that."

Kai nodded. He knew how this worked, it wasn't like he always stuck himself in his room. He's been to restaurants before. "I don't know how the cashier works, though."

Sugawara showed him to the cashier in the front and taught him how to work it. After explaining, he smiled at Kai. "Is there anything else you need help with?"

Kai rubbed at his eyes. "No, thank you."

"Well, there are some things I want to ask you first before the day starts," Sugawara said.

"Go ahead."

"Yesterday when we were introducing each other... do you know Tsukishima-kun?"

Kai paused, wondering how to explain. "Some time ago his brother and I hung out together. Not as much now, though. We've both been busy."

"So you know his brother," Sugawara said. The information was new to him. He hesitated before going on. "And yesterday when you were talking to Suzuki-san and today when you were talking to Kiyoko-san... what was that about?"

Kai gulped. He didn't like this topic. "Well, I'm... kind of... weird, I guess."

Sugawara stared at him, suggesting he go on. "What do you mean?"

"I..." Kai absolutely did not like this subject. "I'm not comfortable..." His voice faltered. He was too scared to continue.

"You're not comfortable with...?"

Kai mumbled something, Sugawara unable to grasp it. Sugawara chuckled blandly, saying: "Could you please speak up?"

"I'm not comfortable with attractive people..." Kai mumbled, blushing. "It's not like..." _What am I trying to deny? There's nothing I can deny!_

Sugawara tried to hide his shock, but it came out in one breath. "Why would you be uncomfortable? Isn't that a bit offensive to others, then? What caused this?" Sugawara clasped a hand over his mouth and looked at Kai worriedly. _What would he think of me now?_

"I'm sorry!" Kai apologized. He bowed a full ninety degrees. "It's not like I want to inconvenience anyone!"

"No! No!" Sugawara waved his hands in a surrendering way. "It's my fault for asking so many questions!"

Kai straightened up, a pink cloud of embarrassment flooding his cheeks. "I never knew this kind of thing would happen... I never wanted it to happen, either. I can get really nervous around people who... sparkle."

"That explains a lot, actually," Sugawara chuckled. He looked at Kai with his beautiful amber eyes and smiled.

Kai blinked and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms. Sugawara looked at him strangely and Kai tried to explain. "Well, you are kind of... too."

 _Ah. So that's why... He thinks I'm attractive. That's kind of nice- Wait a minute! I can't grow conceited from this!_ "Thanks, I guess," Sugawara said. "Are you sure you can handle being on the floor? You might encounter those kinds of people."

"I can always work in the kitchen," Kai said. He put on a hardworking face. "But I'm fine on the floor if most of our customers are average looking!"

I understand why he wouldn't want to tell anyone about this, Sugawara thought. It sounds pretty offensive whether or not you know of his condition. "As long as you can continue working, Ki-kun."

"Thank you, Sugawara-san," Kai said.

"Just Sugawara is fine," Sugawara said. "Even Koushi is fine!"

"Thank you, Sugawara," Kai mumbled.

* * *

"So that's why," Daichi said. "But it sounds offensive when you think about it."

"I know," Sugawara added. "He even said—well, implied—that I was attractive, too."

"Ah! I get it!" Tanaka let out a strange laugh. "He was entranced by Kiyoko-san's beauty!"

"You really aren't listening, are you?" Tsukishima muttered. "He said that he was uncomfortable not entranced."

"You guys do realize," Noya pointed out, "that it means he doesn't see most of us as attractive, right?"

A dark wave of depression spread throughout the group until Sugawara spoke up.

"But it's only towards people who 'sparkle', I guess. That's what Kai said." Sugawara tried to lighten the atmosphere. "So you might be attractive, but you don't... 'sparkle'?"

"Thanks, Suga," Daichi mumbled. "But we're fine."

Sugawara joined in the dark wave of depression and walked to his station. The jingle from the door rang out, and Sugawara welcomed them to the restaurant. He led them to a table next to a window and received their order. He went over to the kitchen and told the chefs what the order was.

The morning was slow, despite it being a weekend. Only a few groups of customers came for the first few hours. Usually the place would have more customers, but not too many that it would be overbearing. Some of their usual customers were here: an elderly couple sat in a booth close to the entrance, a young woman sat at a table working as she drank a cup of coffee, a middle-aged man sat in a booth looking over papers, and two mothers sat at a table discussing their families.

"Hey, Ki-chan," Hinata called, "can you take care of the next customers coming in?" Kai nodded and headed towards the entrance.

Just as he arrived at the door, two boys shuffled into the building. One was a teenage boy with spiky black hair wearing a blue t-shirt and gray sweatpants. The other was... oh no.

Kai made a full-on inspection on the other boy. He was definitely around eighteen, about the same age as the other boy. He was taller than Kai by almost exactly ten centimeters, and Kai could see that he had a well build. His hair was swept upwards and a beautiful chocolate brown. His eyes were a corresponding color and were happily shining as his mouth was turned up in a smile. He wore a grey short sleeve showing off toned muscles. He had one hand in the pocket of his shorts, fishing out a wallet. He turned to the other boy and spoke to him. "It's on me, Iwa-chan."

"Good," the other boy said. "I don't want to be paying for you today."

Kai realized he was staring and shook his head. "W- welcome! Follow me to your seats, please." He walked over to a booth next to the window. He gestured to the teens to take a seat and handed two menus to them. "What would you like to start out with?" He watched as the boys looked through the menu quickly.

"Can I have a pumpkin spice latte?" the boy going by "Iwa-chan" said. Kai wrote down the order.

"Can I have the same thing?" the sparkling boy said. "Also, can I have the strawberry cake?"

Kai put a number two beside the latte and added the milk bread. "Alright. Is that it?" The boys said no, and Kai made his way to the kitchen. Once he entered, he sighed and yelled out the order. He placed the order in a clip and helped Hinata wash some dishes.

"How's it going, Ki-chan?" Hinata asked.

"Um..." Kai remembered the good-looking boy and glowered. He clicked his tongue. "Fine," he said sharply.

Hinata let out a nervous laugh. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened."

Hinata could practically feel the menacing demeanor from Kai. Did something happen with one of the customers? "You can always tell me."

"No, it's fine," Kai mumbled, trying to block the boy from his mind. He felt annoyed by the boy's aura. It oozed with popularity. He heard the order being said that it was finished and cleaned off his hands. He brought the order out to the boys.

"So Tobio-chan is here, huh?" the good-looking boy muttered. "I wonder where he is. Do you think I can-"

"No," the friend immediately said.

"Eh?"

"Don't even think about spying on them."

They seem like nice friends, Kai thought. He placed the two cups down and a plate of cake down on the table. He left, still thinking about the two friends. What was the brown-haired boy up to? Was he planning on doing something to Kageyama-kun?

Kai looked back and clicked his tongue before entering the kitchen again. What am I getting myself into?

* * *

 **AN: I really wanted to update this earlier, but I'm really lazy... -_- Oh well. Have some fresh cookies Yamaguchi baked! 🍪** **ヽ** **(´ω** **)** **ﾉ** **.+** **ﾟ** ***** **｡** **:** **ﾟ**

 **I kind of lost all motivation to write, but I hope I feel better.**

 **What will happen with Oikawa? Will I ever get to writing up some ships? Maybe you'll find out in the next chapter: _Blueberry Muffins_.**


	3. Blueberry Muffins

**AN: I think I should warn the readers, but I don't see a reason why.**

* * *

 **Blueberry Muffins**

Kai sighed and grumbled to himself. Earlier he had asked if Kageyama was in the kitchen, but he wasn't there. Honestly, Kai didn't know why he was doing this. Curiosity never got the best of him like this, yet that flashy looking boy seemed untrustworthy. Kai growled when he remembered how the boy referred to Kageyama with his first name. What exactly was their relationship? It shouldn't bother Kai this much. After all, this isn't his business. But it made Kai so angry for some reason! Surely he wouldn't regret this much.

He checked the break room, but no one was there except for a blonde girl. Kai racked his brain for her name.

"Hitoka-san?"

"Y- yes?" she stuttered. "Is there something the matter?"

"I was just wondering where Kageyama-kun was," Kai said.

Hitoka's eyes flickered from Kai's eyes to the floor. "I haven't seen him. Sorry."

"Thank you," Kai said with a polite smile. "And you don't need to apologize. It's nice enough that you answered me."

The girl looked up and blushed. Her amber eyes set on Kai as he exited the room to find Kageyama. He walked around the back of the restaurant, looking for signs of the boy. As he passed the closet, Kai heard a cluttering inside. He stopped and turned, waiting for another clue. This time another sound came out, but...

Kai hesitantly placed his hand on the door handle, his fingers shaking. He really couldn't believe what he was doing. He swung the door open and jumped into the room to keep from backing away. What he saw wasn't scary... but it could count as scarring.

Kageyama and Hinata stared at Kai in surprise, their faces nearly millimeters away. Hinata's arms were wrapped around Kageyama's waist, and Kageyama's hands were placed on Hinata's shoulders. There was a blush on both boys' faces, and Kai felt all the romantic tension in the air shatter and turn awkward with his presence.

"I..." Kai managed to say, his eyes bulging and his face turning hot, "I, uh..."

"Ki-chan?" Hinata whispered.

Kai's face immediately flushed and burned with embarrassment. "I'm sorry to interrupt," his voice nearly inaudible. Kai looked down to the floor and shut the closet door. He turned away and returned to the flashy boy and the more levelheaded friend.

* * *

"Is everything alright here?" Kai asked.

"Everything's fine... Whoa, your face is red." The flashy boy pointed to the blushed cheeks and laughed. "What happened?"

Kai almost felt his face redden even more. "N- nothing."

"That's rude, Oikawa," the friend said. "Don't point that out."

Oikawa looked at his friend and stuck out his tongue. "Something must have happened, though!"

Kai's hands covered his face. "I said it's nothing!" He stood there, mumbling and whimpering. "Nothing happened!"

"Oh," Oikawa said, "do you know anyone named Kageyama Tobio?"

His hands fell and he looked at the boy. "He works here."

"Can I leave a message for him?" Oikawa flashed an attractive, persuading grin. Kai sneered at the desperate face.

"Hm. Whatever."

Oikawa stared at him, wondering why he was acting this way. He acted like he was bipolar. It made him a bit angry, but he continued his request kindly in spite of himself. "Tell him that senpai is always watching from afar!" Oikawa winked and chuckled to himself.

Kai snapped. "Oh, so you're a stalker?"

The boy stopped his cheerful demeanor and glared at Kai. "Aren't you a little rude?"

"Aren't you being rude, too?" Kai growled. He locked gazes with Oikawa.

"All I need you to do is tell Tobio-chan my message!" Oikawa shouted.

"I never said I would." Kai huffed and left.

* * *

"Kageyama-kun?" Kai called. Kageyama looked up from the bowl and blushed at the sight of Kai. "Can I ask you something?"

Kageyama immediately reddened even more and ran out the kitchen, dragging Kai with him. He brought Kai to the break room and stopped. "If it's about Hinata-"

"It's not about Hinata-kun!" Kai said. "It's just a question about one of our customers..." Kageyama gave him a curious look.

"I wouldn't know a lot about the customers. I work in the kitchen."

"Well, I wanted to know if you know someone named Oikawa," Kai explained.

Kageyama looked surprised to hear the name. "Oikawa... Tooru?" Kai nodded. "I went to middle school with him, but he's older than me."

"Oh," Kai smiled to show he understood, "I see. He's in the restaurant right now, and-"

"Tobio-chan!" A voice called out.

"Don't let him know I'm here," Kageyama hissed. "I can't have him following me everywhere."

"He said the he is always watching you... Is that, uh, true?"

Kageyama shook his head. "No. I don't know why he's around, actually."

Kai understood. "I told him you worked here, but is it still okay?"

"As long as he doesn't know too much," Kageyama clarified. He was about to go on, but remembered the earlier incident. He blushed and couldn't continue. Kai noticed this and decided to end the conversation.

"Thanks for clearing things up for me." Kai excused himself and left to check on the customers. When he stepped onto the floor, he saw Hinata talking to Oikawa. He felt himself grow with worry when he remembered what Kageyama said, and headed towards them. "Hinata-kun, is everything alright?"

"Oh, Ki-chan!" Hinata called. He seemed to have recovered from the earlier incident. "We were talking about favorite food. This guy likes milk bread and this one likes agedashi tofu. I like meat buns! Hey, what's your favorite food?"

"Eh?" Kai voiced. "Well, I like a lot of food. I mean, as long as I can eat..."

"That's not a suitable answer," Hinata said. "If you could live on one food without becoming sick or unhealthy, what would you choose?"

Kai thought of all the food he liked. "I like red bean buns, dango, mochi, strawberry shortcake, haupia..." He paused. "But my most favorite would probably be blueberry muffins."

"Are all of those sweet foods?" Iwaizumi asked.

"What's haupia?" Hinata asked.

"Uh..." Kai wondered how to explain the food. "It's like sweet coconut pudding, I guess."

Oikawa chuckled. "Your choices are like a cute schoolgirl's! You're so cute!"

Kai made a face at his last sentence. "I'm not cute," he mumbled.

"Cute!" Oikawa pointed at his blushing face.

Kai slammed his hands on the table, startling everyone in vicinity. "I'm not cute!" he exploded. His face was red with embarrassment for umpteenth time that day. "I'm not cute at all!" He huffed and Oikawa let out a laugh.

"So what's Tobio-chan's favorite food?" Oikawa asked.

"Yogurt," Hinata immediately answered. He stared in confusion at the three as Oikawa grinned and the other two sighed.

Was that what he was trying to get out? Kai thought. Was he trying to get Hinata to say something about Kageyama?

"You know him?" Oikawa asked.

"Of course I do! After all, he's-" Hinata paused a bit, "my friend."

What a terrible liar! Kai stared shockingly at the fiery boy.

Oikawa noted this pause and started the interrogation. "Oh, so he's a friend."

"Yeah," Hinata gulped, "a friend."

"Just a friend."

Hinata nodded. "He's a friend."

The brunet grinned before making his final blow "Liar."

Hinata jumped, a wary look on his face. He was practically digging his own grave. "I'm not lying!"

"So what is it?" Oikawa asked. "Friend or boyfriend?"

"I'm- I'm not g-" Hinata stopped at the sight of Kai.

He shook his head in despair. "Don't do this to yourself, Hinata-kun."

The targeted boy of bullying stared at the tiled floor. He felt a blush creep on his face and the heat emanate from his body. He couldn't deny it now. He wondered how he was able to keep it a secret until now, actually. "We're..." his mouth trembled as he tied the words together, "We're not just friends!" He ran away from the teasing boy and hid away in the break room.

"At least he wasn't lying that time," Oikawa chuckled.

Kai sighed and was about to leave when Iwaizumi spoke up.

"We're done here, Oikawa."

"But I haven't found Tobio-chan yet," he whined.

"I said we're done!" He quickly turned to Kai. "Thank you for everything."

"Thank you for coming over!" Kai responded. He watched as Iwaizumi dragged Oikawa away from the table and out the building. He sighed and slumped down onto the bench. "I can't believe that this is my first day..."

Of course Kai was exhausted. Of course he was stressed. He was attacked by a swarm of crows when he got here and acted like an idiot in front of Kiyoko-san. He was treated like an little kid already and walked in on a makeout scene. He met a boy who regarded him as an adorable teenage girl and his levelheaded but stubborn friend. Kai wanted to go back home and become a shut-in again. This was too much for a guy who just finished being a recluse.

"Foxx-san," Kiyoko showed up, "is everything alright?"

He didn't look up and buried his face into his hands. "I'm fine."

She frowned. "Are you sure? Is anyone bothering you?"

Kai looked up and smiled. "It's just that I'm still getting used to this. Thank you for looking out for me. You're really kind."

Kiyoko blushed. "It's alright. And I hope that you get used to these kinds of people. I know that they can be a hassle."

"I hope so, too." Kai chuckled. "I hope that we can be friends as well."

She nodded. "There are some other customers waiting. Would you care to serve them?"

Kai stood up. "Thank you again." He walked to the entrance and tended to the customers.

* * *

"He really isn't that bad," Kiyoko said. "He's kind and just like everyone else here."

"He's honest and trustworthy," Kageyama included.

"He likes haupia and blueberry muffins, too," Hinata added with a nod.

Daichi faced Hinata. "What does that have to do with this?"

"Well," Hinata explained, "that kind of means that he's fragile and sweet." Everyone stared incredulously. "I mean," he further commented, "when people tell you random facts about themselves you can tell a lot about them, right?! Like when people tell you their favorite show or their favorite sport!"

"I understand what you're coming from," Tanaka said. "But he's really out of it, don't you think?"

"That's because," Suzuki appeared from the break room, "he was a shut-in." Everybody stared at him in disbelief. Kai, a shut-in? No way. "I know it's a bit unbelievable, but you have to trust me. He's pretty shaken up over how you guys act so energetically, so be nice to him. Get to know him a little more." He studied the crowd for a reply.

"Okay."

* * *

 **AN: Hope you enjoyed! I feel it's too rushed (and bluntly put, terrible), but after a while it shouldn't be. I won't be able to write for most of next week. *Sob* Anyways, have some cookies Kageyama baked earlier! 🍪**


	4. Chocolate Cake

**AN: I'm eating my late b-day cake as I write this.**

* * *

 **Chocolate Cake**

"Foxx-san."

Kai turned to Asahi and gulped. It would be mean to say that he wasn't attractive, but it would be a lie to say that he wasn't scary. He had stubble for crying out loud! Kai wasn't even close to looking like twenty. "Yes?"

"Do you need help with those?"

The young man looked down at the plates in his hands and shook his head. "Thank you, but I've got it. You have work, too." Kai continued to the dishwasher. He quickly placed the plates in the sink.

"Hey!" Noya jumped over to Kai. "You need help? I'm all done for the day."

"I'm fine," Kai answered with a small sigh, "really."

"I'll help, anyway," Noya invited himself. "You'll get done quicker."

Kai nodded hesitantly and let Noya take over the water shower. Kai moved over to the operation lever to load the wet dishes into the washer.

"Hey, Ki-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you get a job here?"

His hands stopped, and Kai searched for an answer. He couldn't say that he was being forced to by his mom. It would make him sound pathetic. "I just needed the money."

Noya looked at him and grinned. "You're poor."

Kai reddened slightly. "It's close to my apartment. I didn't like going outside a lot when I was younger."

"Do you like it now?"

He almost answered immediately: No. But... it wasn't the truth. It wasn't that he particularly hated going outside in general. Actually, when he was younger he would love going outside to play in parks whether sun or rain. He also loved going outside shopping even if what he was going out to get wasn't for him. He loved going out to a restaurant to eat with his family or friends. Kai loved the outside. Saying that he did like going outside when he was young, though, would arouse suspicion and more questions. How come he didn't miss going outside when he shut himself in? "...Sorry."

A confused look clouded Noya's face, and he turned his head to Kai who lowered the operation lever. "What do you mean?"

 _"Aren't you a cute boy!"_

Kai shook his head and smiled reassuringly at Noya. "I guess I like going out now." He could tell that Noya didn't really buy it. But his answer was enough as the boy grinned and washed the excess food and sauce off another plate.

"Just a couple more plates and we can dry them off," Kai said.

Noya nodded.

* * *

Kai sighed out of relief, leaning on the broom and dust pan he was holding. He finally finished cleaning up for the night. He dragged the broom and dust pan over to the back of the building towards the closet of cleaning supplies.

He blushed when he remembered what had happened earlier that morning. He really needed to forget that moment. Every time he came close to the closet, Hinata and Kageyama's shocked reaction would replay in his until he found something to distract his mind. He would take over washing the dishes to forget. Kai tried to shake away the embarrassing thought. But more importantly... those two were going out?

Were they? It would be a logical assumption. After all, neither of them looked like they were hesitating or provoked. They looked very... passionate. Kai almost hit himself for thinking that way. At least Hinata and Kageyama were happy together. The thought of them together didn't sound too out there. Though they argued a lot, they were good friends. Kai chuckled when he remembered what Hinata had said to Oikawa earlier.

Kai was now really curious. Is dating your co-workers allowed here? How long have Hinata and Kageyama been together? Who confessed? Where did they confess? Who knew they liked the other first? Do they really enjoy dating the other? How much did one like the other?

He stopped the questions from overflowing. Kai didn't want to come off as rude the next time he could talk to them. He opened the door to the closet.

Then he closed it.

* * *

Kai slouched in the bathroom stall, hoping no one would find him. Hoping he wouldn't have to face anybody. Hoping that he would die of hypothermia since the air conditioning worked too well in the bathrooms. And if that didn't work he could just flush himself down the toilet.

"Ki-kun! Come out! Please! We need to talk!"

Fists banged against the stall door. That was what happened the entire five minutes Kai sulked in the bathroom stall. More absurd thoughts about dying. More yelling and coaxing out the stall.

"If you don't get out, I'll kick the door down!"

"You can't do that..."

But immediately after the last sentence was said, the door opened and slammed against the wall of the stall. There stood Kai's death.

Kai sobbed. "DON'T KILL ME!"

"We're not going to kill you," Sugawara said.

Kai looked up and sniveled when he saw Daichi in front of him. "What?"

Daichi extended his hand and helped Kai stand up. Kai gulped when he stood face to face with Daichi.

"I'm not going to kill you," Daichi said.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so terribly sorry," Kai whispered. Suga walked up to try and console him. "I'm so sorry I interrupted." Suga tried to hold the laughter back, but erupted in fits of it.

"That's what you say when we were obviously making out at the wrong place and time?" Suga continued laughing, holding his stomach.

"It's not your fault you didn't know it was the wrong place and time," Kai whispered.

"Su-" Daichi wanted to stop Sugawara from laughing, but turned his focus back to Kai. "We just want to talk."

"Actually, we're to blame since no one here can date co-workers," Suga explained. "We were dating even before we had a job here, but when we found out that this place prohibited it, we pretended we weren't seeing each other."

"Why couldn't you have chosen a different place to work?"

Suga shrugged. "By the time we figured out that we weren't allowed to go out, it was too late. We were already hired."

"You have to promise not to tell Suzuki-san!" Daichi pleaded. "Or anyone else!"

"We even had to pretend we broke up just in case students from our school visited someday," Suga added.

"But..." Kai wondered, "why didn't one of you get a different job? Or quit once you thought it was a good time Or-"

"You don't know what we've been through!" Daichi yelled. Suga and Kai stared at him before Daichi cleared his throat and continued. "If we left now, do you know how much chaos this restaurant would be in? We're the only ones besides Ennoshita that can actually handle these guys!"

Kai gulped and considered the story. "I guess I understand," he replied.

"Thanks, Ki-kun," Suga said.

The three walked out the bathroom in awkward silence. Sugawara and Daichi made their goodbyes and left before Kai. He waved to them as they exited the building. Once they left, Kai sat down at a table.

Twice! In one day! He couldn't believe it. He almost wanted to quit. But that would seem selfish of him. How many of these guys are actually dating? How many of them will he walk into during this job? Kai wanted to give up. He really did. He never liked the idea of keeping secrets, though he was a natural at doing so. No one asks too many questions if you're usually a quiet and polite person. Well, Kai couldn't exactly describe himself as quiet.

Okay, he thought. It won't be that bad. It's not like I'll end up in a jail cell for keeping this a secret. And it's not like it will kill someone. I can endure this.

* * *

"Ki-san?"

Kai looked over to the group of kids. It was the usual group of high school first years which included Kageyama, Tsukishima, Hinata, Hitoka, and Yamaguchi who called out to him. "Yes?" Kai realized how many times people have asked for him ever since yesterday. They all asked him different kinds of questions like what he did at home or in his spare time.

"When's your birthday?" Yamaguchi asked.

"July seventeen."

"A summer birthday," Hinata said with a grin. "What do you usually do on your birthday?"

Kai pondered over his birthdays when he was a kid. "Well, when I was a kid my dad would come to Japan with a strawberry shortcake and celebrate." He then thought about when he got a bit older: birthdays eleven, twelve, and...

" _Would you like to play a game of soccer with us?"_

He skipped thirteen and went straight to fifteen. "When I was in high school, I would go out with my family and buy the cake at a bakery and eat at home. Now, I just go out to buy a single piece of strawberry shortcake for myself but..." He grumbled at the thought, "last year they ran out and I had to settle with the only cake they had: chocolate."

"You really don't like chocolate, huh..." Yamaguchi commented.

"I just don't like chocolate in a cake," Kai said. "That's why I ended up giving it to a friend."

"Tsukishima likes strawberry shortcake, too!" Hinata added. He pointed to the taller boy who scowled at him.

"What cake do the senpai like?" Yamaguchi asked. "I don't think they ever told any of us."

"Maybe we should ask Tanaka-senpai," Hitoka suggested.

Kai almost laughed. The entire time they were talking, Kageyama had just stared at Yamaguchi, Hinata, Hitoka, and Kai, looking for a suitable time to add his own opinions. "I think," Kai said, "that Tanaka-kun looks like he would only eat meat. He seems like he'd rather eat a meal full of barbecue than eat something sweet."

"He does look like it," Hinata said, laughing. "But even Kageyama likes sweets. He always drinks milk and eats yogurt!"

Kai chuckled. "Ever since I've started working here, the only questions I've been getting revolved around food somehow. Is that all you guys talk about?"

"What else is there to talk about?!" Hitoka and Hinata shouted.

"They're... very enthusiastic about food," Yamaguchi explained to Kai.

The young man looked at the high schoolers strangely. "You guys are in high school. Surely there's something else to talk about like what college you'll be going to or what job you want."

"We do," Hinata said. "But we don't care what will happen because we'd rather talk about our favorite food right now."

Kai shook his head. "So you'd rather talk about food than your worries, huh?"

Hitoka and Hinata yelled again. "It's not that!"

The blonde girl continued. "It's just that the future only takes up the rest of our lives, but for the entirety of our lives we need food!"

Kai almost retorted back, but he didn't see a reason why. "That's a very sound motto."

"Isn't it?" Hinata grinned. "We came up with it on our own."

The group of first year high schoolers continued talking about their special food. Kai smiled. It was almost as if he could relive a lot of memories with these guys, but make even more. Making more memories and being able to smile with friends... Well, if Kai could call them that. Honestly, he didn't want to embarrass himself and ask. But he knew that this would be a fun yet tiresome experience.

A ring of the bell echoed, and the group turned to the entrance. Tsukishima's face contorted into one of annoyance. Hinata gasped enthusiastically.

* * *

 **AN: EAT SOME CAKE WITH ME, YOU GUYS. 🍰 Oh, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Who just entered the restaurant? Is it another pair of troublesome high schoolers? Find out in the next chapter: _Apple Pie_.**


	5. Apple Pie

**AN: Next chapter! ^o^ This is also on Ao3 now!**

* * *

 **Apple Pie**

One with two orange-yellow eyes and blond hair with the brown roots showing. The other with a black bedhead and a catty grin.

"Oh? There's someone new."

The blond boy looks up from a PSP and was about to comment about Kai when a certain fiery-haired boy jumped onto him for an embrace. "Shoyo... get off of me, please. You're heavy."

Hinata let go of him. He gave him a grin. "Sorry, Kenma! I haven't seen you in a while."

Kenma shook off the overbearing hug and turned his focus to Kai. "Is he new?"

"I..." Kai studied the dark-haired boy. He was tall and looked very intimidating. But what irked Kai was the annoying aura he gave off. "I'm Foxx Kai. It's nice to meet you."

"Kozume Kenma," Kenma introduced. "It's nice to meet you as well."

"And I'm Kuroo Tetsuro!" The tall boy pointed to himself with his thumbs. "Nice to meet you!"

Kai gestured for Hitoka to come over. She shifted closer to him. Kai bent down and covered his mouth and her ear with a hand. "Why do all of your friends seem so annoying?" She gave a nervous laugh. It seemed to be true.

"This is Ki-chan's second day already!" Hinata explained. "He's been pretty good at it so far!"

Kuroo looked at Kai with surprise, but then reverted back to his catty grin. "Ki... -chan?"

Oh, no. Kai looked away from the boy. "What?"

"Can I call you that?"

"You do realize," Kai grumbled, a scowl on his face, "that I'm older than you, right?"

The other boy let out a small laugh. "Older than me? You're pretty cute then."

Kai felt the scowl deepen. "I'm not cute," he mutered. He turned his face to Kuroo. "I am not cute."

"You can almost rival Kenma with that face!" Kuroo mockingly gushed.

"Shut up, Kuro."

"It's fine, Kenma! I'm just trying to get along with..." Kuroo paused to check Kai's face, "Ki-chan."

Kai turned to the group of first years. "Pick better friends or you'll end up regretting it."

Kenma kept Kuroo from retorting back. One argument was enough for the day. Kenma asked for a seat and Kai begrudgingly took them to the same booth that seated the other two boys from the other day. Kuroo sat on one side with Kenma sitting across from him. After presenting them with menus, Kai asked if they wanted drinks. They both asked for water, but Kenma continued.

"Can I have an apple pie?"

"Oh, then I want one, too."

Kai wrote down the orders and walked to the kitchen with a sigh. Today wasn't going the way he planned it to be. Well, these days nothing went according to plan. Things being unexpected was to be expected now that Kai was working. He couldn't even trust his own instincts anymore. He couldn't trust cleaning closets anymore. The closet was a dangerous place.

"Hey, Kenma," Kuroo called, snapping the other boy into reality. Kenma looked up from his game. "Don't you think that guy is a bit out of it?"

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, Kuro," Kenma mumbled, looking back down. He was a bit irked since Kuroo's question almost made his character die. But Kenma was too good at games for him to die that simply. He continued the game, hoping no one would bother him in the while the food was being prepared. But Kuroo's question stayed in his head, a sense of curiosity blooming. Did Kai really have that weird a presence? "He seems pretty normal compared to everyone else here."

Kuroo hummed a response and looked out the window. It was a nice day out. The warm spring sun peeked over the heads of several trees in the distance, and a nice breeze was enough to cool everyone down. Clouds peppered the blue sky and slowly glided away with the wind. "That cloud looks like a cat."

Kenma didn't have to hesitate to look up. The game was pulling up stats after a battle, so it was fine. Right in front of the sun was a cat-shaped cloud. Kenma smiled slightly. "The one next to it looks like a fish." Kuroo awed at the sight.

"What about that one? It looks like a hammer."

"I looks more like a broken stick."

"That one's a dog!"

"No, it's a lilipup."

* * *

"So," Kai asked, "how do you know those two?"

"I once ran into Kenma during a run," Hinata answered. "Kuroo is his friend."

"And why is Kei acting like that towards Kuroo?" Kai picked up two glasses of water. "Do you remember the way he scowled at him?"

Hinata paused to dig into his memory. "I guess Tsukishima just thinks he's annoying. He thinks a lot of people are annoying."

Kai looked down at the drinks in his hands. "Kei wasn't always like that," he whispered.

"Hm?"

The young man shook his head. "Nothing. I was thinking aloud." _No one ever stays the same, I guess._

* * *

"Then what pokemon does that look like?" Kuroo asked, pointing to a cloud.

"That looks like a cloud. It doesn't remind me of any pokemon."

"What about that one?" He excitedly pointed to another.

"That one looks like you."

Kuroo stopped. He studied the cloud quickly and turned to Kenma. "No, it doesn't." His lips turned upward when he saw Kenma's grin. "Oh? What's this?"

"Nothing."

"What?" Kuroo whined.

"It's nothing, Kuro. Be quiet." Kenma silently thanked fate when Kai walked towards them with glasses of water in his hands.

"The food is still getting ready," Kai said. "It'll be out in a moment."

"Hey, Ki-chan," Kuroo asked, "what does that cloud look like?"

Kai didn't look at the cloud. He was too busy setting the glasses on the table. "It looks like you."

"What?! You didn't even look at it!"

Kenma and Kai let out a small laugh. They looked at each other before another chuckle erupted from inside of them. They felt a bit weird to be laughing at this. But it was nice to laugh, especially when it was a rough day for Kai. Kai left to retrieve the apple pie without forgetting to continue laughing. This really was a very strange day.

"Tsukki!" Kuroo called. "What's been going on recently?"

Tsukishima was only a few tables away wiping it down with a wet towel. "I haven't been really paying attention lately, but hopefully you'll be the one going next."

Kuroo gave a fake pout. "What's up with you guys? Aren't you being mean today?"

"I think everybody was being pretty nice until you decided to open your mouth, Kuro," Kenma said, not looking up from his game. He couldn't risk being killed in the boss battle he was in right now.

The dark-haired boy shook his head and threw out his hands as if he was surrendering. His head rested on the back of the bench. He didn't particularly feel bad today. Everybody always treated him like this, and it was entertaining for him to watch. The people who always sassed him might as well stop now if they knew how much he enjoyed laughing at their attempts at hurting him. He was chuckling softly to himself when he saw Kai come out from the kitchen with two plates of pie. "The food's coming, Kenma."

Kenma had just released the final blow to the boss and turned his gaze to Kai. After quickly tapping away the boxes of text, he saved and paused the game. Kenma placed the PSP in his jacket pocket. Kai came over to the two boys and set down the plates of pie slices.

"What's been going on recently, Ki-chan?" Kuroo asked, hoping he would get to laugh at another retort from the man.

Kai forced a smile on his face. He wasn't going to let this boy have his fun. "Nothing much."

Kuroo grinned. He knew what Kai was doing. "Really?"

"What are you planning for your future, Kuroo-kun?" Kai asked. He hoped he sounded genuinely curious.

The boy gaped in confusion. "Um... I guess I'll go to a university."

"Do you know what you'll be studying?" Kai looked at Kuroo who still couldn't comprehend the sudden subject change.

"Not... really. I might go into engineering."

Kai gave him an encouraging smile. "You might want to figure it out quickly. High school ends quickly, you know." While Kai just wanted to spite the high schooler, he was serious about what he said. High school did end quickly. Especially when you realize just how much you did over the years on your graduation day. Everything happened almost too fast, though it seemed to go slowly during the school days.

"What are you studying to be?" Kuroo asked to change the focus of the conversation.

"It's a secret," Kai whispered. "Only my family and close friends know. I keep it a secret since I find it difficult to talk about." Kai smiled at the two boys and left. He kept it at that, hoping they wouldn't call out more questions. What he studied wasn't even important for them to know.

* * *

"They left?" Hinata repeated. His face looked saddened. "I wanted to ask Kenma if he wanted to hang out sometime."

"They left about ten minutes ago," Hitoka said. She was wiping down a table with a cloth while Hinata piled plates on top of each other at a different one. It was a simple task for the bussers. "They were pretty quiet when they left- Oh, but I have a question."

"Hm?"

"Does Kenma-san like apples? I saw him ask for another apple pie before they left. And Kuroo-san laughed at him."

"Yeah," Hinata replied. "Kenma likes apples... I wonder what Kuroo likes. Hey, Ki-chan! What do you think Kuroo's favorite food is?"

Kai looked over to Hinata. He was talking to Daichi about how he was feeling about the new job. Kai thought for a moment and answered. "He looks like a meat-eater." He imagined a mouth with sharp canines ripping apart bloody meat off of a bone.

"Meat...?" Hinata mumbled. The boy imagined steaks sizzling over a hot grill. His mouth watered from the thought.

Hitoka thought of this as well, but she imagined a small steak served at a fancy restaurant. She pondered the idea. "Meat... eater? What about Kenma-san?"

Kai thought about this as well. "He looks like an omnivore," he said. "Like he eats both meat and sweets. But I think he eats sweets more."

"What do you mean they look like it?" Hinata asked. "You can tell what they would like just by looking at them?"

"Like," Kai explained, "you look as if you're an omnivore, but you eat meat more...?" Kai's brows furrowed together. "It's kind of hard to explain."

Daichi interrupted to add in his own opinion. "I think I get what you're saying. It's like saying Tanaka is a meat-eater. It's also like what Hinata said about what your favorite food says about your personality."

"Then I guess Senpai's a..." Hitoka said, looking at Daichi, "an omnivore? Except it looks like he eats more meat than sweets."

Kai nodded. "You could say that. To me he looks like an 'all' kind of person. Like he would eat anything. And you look like you're a sweets person."

"Ah..." Hitoka nodded. "I understand."

"Then what about Asahi-senpai?" Hinata wondered.

This took a while for Kai to answer. "He's probably an 'all' like Daichi. It makes sense to me."

"Speaking of which," Hinata mumbled, "I'm kind of hungry."

"Well, guess what?" A voice came from behind Kai. The four turned their focus to the girl behind him. "So are they." Kiyoko pointed to the group of adults at the entrance of the restaurant.

"I'm so sorry!" Kai jumped and rushed to the angry-looking mob of men and women. The rest of the group laughed softly as Kai quickly led them to a booth and waited on them.

Kai really was out of it.

* * *

 **AN: Hope you enjoyed! Kiyoko-san baked some cookies. Would you like some? 🍪**

 **Next chapter won't be focused on Kai! (Finally, I was hoping to get some time with the first years.) What do they reveal next chapter?**


	6. Chicken Curry

**AN: I really like the anime _Amaama to Inazuma_. I'm just saying that. You know, advertising. Wa _t_ cH _i_ T... Tip: don't watch it at 1:00 in the morning. Bad idea. Just makes you super hungry.**

 **Oh, and I messed up with some names but I don't care too much. Just kidding. Please send help.**

* * *

 **Chicken Curry**

"Good work today!" Sugawara called. He waved bye to Kai and the other waved back. Kai exited the restaurant, causing a jingle to resound in the building. Sugawara let out a relieved sigh. "It's been kind of hectic today."

"I agree," Daichi responded.

Sugawara and Daichi headed out next after a chorus of good-byes were made by the leftover first-years. The first-year five exited last after cleaning and locking up.

"Hey, Kageyama," Hinata called. The black-haired boy turned to Hinata. "I bet I can beat you to the gaming center!" The fiery boy ran past the others and dashed to the gaming center. He laughed as Kageyama started to catch up. Yachi sighed out of indifference. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima didn't react to the boys' actions. It was a constant thing they did after every work day ended.

"Hey, Yamaguchi-kun," Yachi called, "are you heading straight home?"

Yamaguchi turned to the girl and smiled politely, a small blush dancing on his cheeks. "Yeah. How about you?"

"Well, I need some help with some homework... It's not that I'm troubled; I just have to do a lot of stuff at home."

Tsukishima raised a brow at her statement. Yamaguchi, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "Do you want me to help out?"

Yachi smiled, her teeth showing. "Really? Thank you so much!" She noticed Yamaguchi's sparkling eyes and her smile turned into a small grin. The poor boy didn't know what she was thinking.

* * *

"I...! Beat...! You!" Hinata panted. "I got here first!"

Kageyama glared at Hinata and frowned. "Dumbass!" Hinata jumped from the sudden outburst then laughed.

"I beat you!" he sang. Kageyama huffed and hit Hinata on the head. The smaller boy only laughed and followed the other into the gaming center.

The two of them headed towards a fighting game. The both of them sat on opposing sides and they started the game. Hinata called out his challenge towards Kageyama and the black-haired boy took it. The game was mostly the both of them yelling at each other and less of actual fighting. Hinata sent kicks and punches to Kageyama's character. Each hit landed on the opposing character, and Hinata shouted out in joy each time he hit. Kageyama scowled as his hands moved the joystick around. Three minutes after the game started, Hinata finished with his ending blow. The boy shouted out in victory and spun around to meet Kageyama.

"I beat you again!" Hinata sang. He hugged the boy from behind. "You have to pay for my drink now!"

Kageyama frowned and faced the boy. "Again!" he declared. "Three out of five!"

Hinata chuckled. "Okay! One more game!"

The cycle continued over and over again until it was getting dark. But Kageyama wasn't going to have it. He lost ten times already. Hinata shrugged at Kageyama's stubbornness.

"Alright, Kageyama. Only one more game. If you win then you don't have to pay anymore." Hinata said. The other boy nodded. "I'll pick a game."

Hinata walked around the center before choosing a game in the corner. He dragged Kageyama by his hand to the game and Kageyama complied with his boyfriend's choice. Hinata grinned as he headed towards the dancing game.

* * *

Tsukishima unlocked the door and announced his arrival. A second later, his brother peeked his head out of the doorway.

"Tadashi's not with you?" he asked. He smiled at his brother's indifferent face. It was difficult not to laugh at his brother's current behavior. He used to be so cute! How come he ended up like this?

The high schooler shook his head. "He's out with someone else."

"Ooh..." Akiteru dragged with a grin. "Friend or _girlfriend?_ " Tsukishima shot a vexed glare at his brother and climbed up the stairs.

Akiteru walked to the base of the stairs and shouted to his brother. "What? I didn't do anything!" He made his way back to the kitchen where his mother stood making dinner.

"What did you do?" his mom asked, a brow raised. She continued to mix the chicken curry sauce as Akiteru extended his arms in vexation.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Really?"

"I asked a question," Akiteru mumbled.

"Was it a nice question?" she queried.

"I only asked who Tadashi was with at the moment."

"Oh..." she said. "Maybe he has a girlfriend."

"There are only two things that could be the problem," Akiteru stated. "Either the girl is Kei's crush, or Kei doesn't want to be a third wheel."

"Don't read into it too much," his mother said.

"Moms do it," Akiteru attacked, rolling his eyes. He tensed when his mother glared at him. He sighed and looked at the stairs. What was the deal with his brother? He used to be so cute and precious! Now he was salty and stingy.

The said brother rolled to his back on his bed. He made a face when he thought of Yamaguchi and Yachi spending time together. The both of them were always getting closer and closer. Sometimes Tsukishima thought that one day he would find them literally joined by the hip. Or worse ideas. Like...

His face scrunched at the thought. Touching. Hugging. Caressing. Holding. Cuddling. Kissing. _Dating_. He threw the pillow onto his face and groaned. He didn't understand why he hated the idea of people dating. His brother dated. Suzuki was dating. He was pretty sure most of the workers were dating _each other_. So why did this bother him? Was it just the idea of Yamaguchi and Yachi together? Did he think that they should be seeing other people? But what if he was just reading into this too much?

He rolled back to his side and grumbled. Or maybe he was jealous...? He placed his glasses onto the side table and sighed. If he was jealous...

Who was he jealous of?

* * *

Yachi stared at Yamaguchi's face. He scratched his cheek with the end of his pencil and she gulped. His gentle brown eyes studied the paper and he brushed his soft hair out of sight with a finger. He continued working silently with a small smile on his face. She couldn't believe this kind of a boy even existed. She reached over the table to grab a notebook and brushed her hand against his accidentally. He pulled back slightly and smiled politely when he realized she noticed the movement. She huffed. How could a boy be this dense?!

"Um... Yamaguchi-kun?" she called. She wrung her hands nervously. "Are you comfortable here? We can move to somewhere more comfortable..."

"I'm fine," Yamaguchi smiled. He wrote something down on the paper he was given. "You don't have to do anything."

Yachi gulped. You can do this, she thought. You can do this.

"Do you know why Suzuki-san doesn't allow relationships with employees?" Yachi asked. "I mean... it's a bit strange. Do you think other people used to be in relationships?"

Yamaguchi pondered the question. "Maybe Suzuki-san simply doesn't like relationships getting in the way of work. It's not like he said we can't date at all. Just not employee relationships."

"Then..." Yachi started, "are you in a relationship at all?" She watched for his reaction. Surprisingly, he blushed and placed the pencil down. His reaction and his response didn't match at all.

"No... I don't have anyone I like either."

Yachi cheered in her head as she continued writing. "Oh, so you don't have a girlfriend."

"Do you have anyone you like?" Yamaguchi asked. The girl blushed instantly.

"I... I guess." Her eyes inched away from Yamaguchi's face. She noticed movement and realized that Yamaguchi was scratching at his freckles.

"You shouldn't scratch them..." she mumbled. "You shouldn't be so insecure about your freckles."

The boy widened his eyes in shock and embarrassment then shook his head. "They're not freckles. It's acne." The girl's mouth fell open.

"What? I always thought they were cute little freckles!" She leaned over the table and looked closer. She sighed. "They are acne..." She looked up and realized how close Yamaguchi's eyes were. So close. She instantly fell back into her chair and coughed awkwardly as she blushed. "I'm sorry..."

Yamaguchi felt a hot sensation on his cheeks and he could hear his heart pound. "It's fine..."

 _Cute little freckles._

"Do you think Kai knows about the rule?" Yachi diverted the conversation.

"Whether or not he does," Yamaguchi answered, "I don't think he would date anyone here."

Thanks to her diversion, Yachi was now thinking about the young man. "Why do you think he's... like that?"

"You mean the way he's nervous around everyone?" Yamaguchi clarified.

Yachi shook her head. "No... I mean the way he defended himself when Kuroo-san said he was cute. It was really strange."

"Maybe he just doesn't like being called cute," Yamaguchi suggested before pausing. "It's not good to gossip. I think we should stop."

The girl pursed her lips. "I'm just worried. I feel like there's more to it than that." Yamaguchi looked up from the paper he was working on. Yachi was frowning and tapping the end of her pencil on the table. "The way he keeps on denying it seems too much."

"If he stops denying it so much, it's probably nothing," Yamaguchi reassured with a smile.

* * *

" _Are you coming up with a cold?"_ Aoi asked.

Kai reached over to the tissues on his table. "No," he answered. He placed the phone on the table and blew his nose. Kai heard a small voice coming from the phone; it was probably his younger brother, Takeru. He threw the dirty tissue away and picked the phone back up. "I just sneezed randomly."

" _Or,"_ the man said, _"maybe someone's talking about you behind your back. You know the saying."_

"It's fake," Kai crinkled his nose. He only did this when he was alone or talking to his brothers or dad. "No one's talking about me."

" _You never know,"_ his brother sang. He laughed. _"Okay, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe no one's talking about you."_

"Of course not. No one is talking about me-" Kai sneezed.

" _Your sneeze is so cute!"_ His brother laughed. _"Are you sure you aren't getting sick? No one's gossiping?"_

Kai rolled his eyes and groaned. "I'm not cute. I'm perfectly fine."

" _You never were."_

* * *

 **AN: (Whispers) Headcanon that Kageyama is crappy at playing video games, but he can play that stupid dancing game like a boss.**

 **I have constructed all of the romance drama and wrote it in a document. I'd show it to you, but spoilers. Cookies, anyone?**


	7. Coffee- To Go

**AN: I'm attending school, so be patient with updates.**

* * *

 **Coffee- To Go**

Yamaguchi's eyes flickered to Yachi and back to his hands. His face flushed a deep red and he cowered in the corner of the restaurant, hoping nobody was watching. Yachi had _touched_ him. On the _face._ He was acting like a lovestruck schoolgirl! With a heaving sigh, he wiped down the messy table.

Yachi looked up from the table she was wiping down and bit her lip nervously as she watched Yamaguchi intently. Was it too much? Maybe she shouldn't have been so overbearing... A lot less touchy. And less friendly. But she couldn't keep her eyes off of the boy. When he looked up at her, she stared down at the table. What if he thought she was weird now? That would be a huge problem...

Tsukishima walked out of the kitchen holding a wet rag in his hands. He set his eyes on Yachi, who was cleaning a table in front of him. She nodded hello and continued her work. Tsukishima passed by without a word, but still kept his gaze on the girl. He passed by the four teenage customers, ignoring the constant banter from Kuroo.

Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Kuroo, and Kenma all sat in the booth they had previously inhabited. Oikawa and Kuroo wanted to sit in their same spots, but it turned into a grueling battle of rock, paper, scissors when they realized that other people wanted to sit in their seat. Kenma and Iwaizumi nonchalantly waited for the two boys to finish up their unnecessary battle so they could sit down already. Daichi had to calm the two down, and now all four settled into the same booth. Kenma and Kuroo sat on one side, Oikawa and Iwaizumi on the other. Thankfully, there was no argument over which side they would take.

Daichi went over to Sugawara to talk to him about the four high schoolers. That group of people had started to come almost every single day, and so had many other high schoolers. Sugawara shrugged as he added that they rarely had this many customers every day. The two of them laughed together at their conversation, unaware that a certain brunet sitting in a booth was watching the both of them in cold silence.

Iwaizumi looked over at Oikawa and poked him in the side. The taller boy responded with a questioning glance, and Iwaizumi shook his head. Oikawa smiled in assurance and bragged enthusiastically to Kuroo. The black-haired boy rolled his eyes and nudged Kenma gently, gaining his attention. The gamer seemed to be looking at Hinata until Kuroo had obtained Kenma's awareness. Kuroo was about to ask what was wrong, but Kenma started a conversation with Iwaizumi. Kuroo didn't notice Kenma's eyes still lingering on Hinata.

The said boy was, as well, staring. Hinata was watching gamer back intently, but someone had interrupted his reverie, too. Kageyama yelled for Hinata to focus and the fiery-haired boy snapped back to reality. He laughed at Kageyama's sour face and chatted idly with his boyfriend. Though, the raven-haired teen couldn't help but wonder why Hinata wasn't usually his happy and talkative self. Well, at least to Kageyama, it seemed like.

The small bell attached to the door rang out, and the bussers welcomed the two boys into the restaurant. One was tall and had spiky hair, the other was shorter and wore a somewhat indifferent face. The taller boy laughed at a comment the other had spat out and they sat themselves at a table near the window. Nishinoya collected their two orders of chocolate glazed donuts. The second-year happily walked into the kitchen to announce the orders and Asahi nodded to show attention to the other boy's words. Nishinoya grinned at him before running out the kitchen to play around the restaurant.

Ennoshita sighed softly at the boy's antics, but made his way to get more flour for the donuts. Tanaka followed him earnestly, finding the other teen's calm aura entertaining. Tanaka couldn't help but tease Ennoshita, who merely ignored the bald boy's constant, annoying banter. He let Tanaka bother him without showing emotion, and Tanaka let Ennoshita walk around with an impassive face.

Suzuki watched all of this happen with a small grin on his face. This was like any other day, he thought. Every day was full of crazy things. And like any other day, Suzuki was just about to call someone. He pressed the contact number, a picture of a girl sitting at a desk in the contact picture next to it. With a relieving sigh, the beeping of the incoming call resonated in his ear. With a click, he connected.

" _You don't have to keep calling me when you're at work," the voice sounded._

"I enjoy it," Suzuki explained, the grin still visible. "It keeps me sane."

" _But I'm not sane, Arata," the girl whispered._

Suzuki laughs at the comment. "I know, Mayu-chan."

" _Is everything going well?"_

The man looks out the break room quickly enough to witness one of the customers- Oikawa, he remembered –throw a pie at another boy, Kuroo. The black-haired teen only snickered in response to the flying pie that landed on the poor bystander, Hinata. The small first-year yelled out in surprise, causing Daichi to run out with a knife secure in his hand. Everyone in vicinity screamed loudly at the sight. Tsukishima shook his head, Yamaguchi chuckling beside him. The entire restaurant was in chaos.

"Everything's great," Suzuki reported. "Just like always."

" _Your definition of normal is strange,"_ Mayu said. _"It makes me worried. I heard someone scream."_

"No one's hurt," Suzuki resplied. "That's my definition of normal."

" _Are you sure?"_

"I'm sure, Mayu."

" _...Okay. I'm heading back to work now."_

"See you after work."

" _See you."_

"I love you."

" _Stop stalling."_

Suzuki chuckled as he heard the tone of the ended call echoed in his head. Sometimes, he thought that he loved her too much. As if it was too much for her to handle, but not the amount she deserved. Suzuki slipped the phone into his pocket and leaned back in his chair to relax.

Maybe he should propose soon...

A sudden crash and an ear-splitting scream sounded from outside the break room.

Or maybe when these kids graduate...

* * *

"What _is_ that?" Tanaka mumbled from behind the closet door.

"He looks suspicious," Nishinoya thought aloud from inside the kitchen.

"Of course he looks suspicious!" Asahi stage whispered from behind Nishinoya.

"I think he looks stupid," Tsukishima muttered.

"He doesn't look that weird," Sugawara added in defense.

"You think he gets hot from wearing it?" Hinata asked. "It looks uncomfortable."

"Do you think he wears it in public all the time?" Oikawa hissed into Iwaizumi's ear.

"I don't know!" Iwaizumi grumbled.

"What happens when he goes to work?" Kuroo questioned.

"Maybe he only wears it outside of work," Kenma suggested.

"Bokuto-san!" Akaashi sighed. "You're leaning on me too much!"

"Sorry, sorry..." Bokuto whispered.

"Maybe there's a reason he wears it?" Yamaguchi wondered.

"What kind of reason would allow someone to wear a bunny head in a restaurant?" Oikawa pointed out.

The entire group huddled in the back of the restaurant, watching someone have a conversation with Kai. It was very... entertaining. Strange, but entertaining. To their shocked horror, Kai was having a completely normal conversation with the customer. They all could only watch in suspense from the back of the building, holding their breaths.

"Would you like to follow me to a seat?" Kai asked coolly.

"I..." the man said.

"Booth or table?" Kai questioned.

"Um... ah..."

"Is there something wrong?" Kai wondered thoughtfully. He cocked his head to the side, wondering if the man was feeling bad today. His eyes widened in realization. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No..."

"Then what shall it be, sir?" he said patiently. "Will it be a booth or table?"

"Coffee!" the man shouted suddenly. His response made the others deadpan. Then the man himself began to worry. "To go," he added shortly after.

Kai nodded and looked up at the man with his large, pooling eyes. "That will be five hundred yen." It took a moment for the other man to pull out his wallet and give Kai the money. "Thank you. Your coffee will be ready in a while." Kai turned to make the man his coffee, leaving the other dumbfounded.

"Thank... you." He sat at the table near the entrance awkwardly, fiddling with his fingers impatiently.

The others stared at the sight of the man with a bunny head. What was up with Kai? So he couldn't handle attractive people, but he could handle people with animal heads just fine?

Finally, Kai arrived with the cup of coffee in his hand. "It's hot. Be careful."

"...Thank you," the man repeated.

Kai looked at him curiously, his bangs brushing away from his face leaving his eyes wide and clear. "I heard you the first time."

"Um... yeah." Then he stood up and grasped the cup, and Kai's hand fell away.

The rabbit, flustered, then hurried away from the scene in a frenzy, leaving the fox dazed and inquisitive.

* * *

 **AN: Soooo? How'd you like it? I hope you liked it, cause I liked it! I loved the entire thing, and I had so much fun with writing this chapter! Have some cookies! 🍪**

 **What will happen to the Tsukishima, Yachi, Yamaguchi love triangle? Will Daichi and Sugawara's relationship stay a secret? Why was Oikawa watching Sugawara, and Hinata and Kenma watching each other? What does Iwaizumi feel towards Oikawa, and Kuroo towards Kenma? Is Kageyama aware of Hinata watching Kenma intently? Will other relationships blossom? Maybe you'll find out next time: Candy.**


	8. Candy

**AN: (Cries) That's okay, you don't need to ask why. I'll just head over to my mushroom corner.**

* * *

Candy

"Kenma!" Hinata called out. The other boy turned around to see the busser chasing after him. Kuroo looked down at Kenma.

"Go ahead, Kuro," Kenma said. "It'll just take a minute."

"Then why can't I stay?" Kuroo asked.

"I think he wants to talk to me alone."

Kuroo tried to argue, but Kenma walked back to the energetic boy. He stared incredulously, then walked away. Hinata ran up to the second-year and jumped in to give Kenma a hug. The latter shockingly responded by throwing his arms around Hinata. The fiery-haired boy laughed and pulled away.

"What is it, Shoyo?"

"I just wanted to talk to you!" Hinata said, grinning. "Do you have time?"

Kenma looked back. "I told Kuro that I would be back in a moment."

"Aw!" Hinata pouted. Kenma smiled at Hinata's adorable, pulled down lips. "Can't you tell him that you'll get back to him some other time?"

The other shook his head. "Sorry. I promised to walk home with him."

Hinata puffed his cheeks, and Kenma laughed softly. "Don't you do that everyday? I want to talk to you!"

Kenma considered it. "Okay," he gave in. "I'll tell him that you want to talk to me today." He watched Hinata shout in victory. The boy gave Kenma another hug before dancing back to the restaurant.

"I'll get my stuff! Wait for me!"

Quietly, Kenma watched as the ball of joy ran into the building. After a few seconds, he realized that Hinata was gone and that he was still standing in the middle of the parking lot. Kenma slipped out his phone and started a text.

Kenma: _I can't walk home with you today. Shoyo wants to talk._

Two minutes afterwards, a ring sounded and Kuroo answered.

Kuroo: _What? Why?_

Kenma: _I don't know. But I won't be able to get home early. Just leave without me._

Kuroo didn't answer back for the rest of the day.

* * *

Hinata looked up at the darkening sky and sighed out in exhilaration. The orange-yellow light brightened the two boys' skin, causing them to shine radiantly in the background of the sun. Bugs crawled around the toes of their shoes and small animals deterred away from their direction. Hinata looked over to Kenma who was staring at him intently. He laughed at Kenma and the other blushed. The younger boy's radiant smile turned soft.

"Kenma," he asked, "if I told you I was dating someone..."

"You're dating the black-haired boy, aren't you?" Kenma said. "Kageyama-kun."

Hinata paused then nodded. "Yeah." The air was silent. Wind blew silently, ruffling their hair. A single leaf fluttered in the breeze and landed on Kenma's hair. Hinata snickered and reached up to lift the leaf off. In a single moment, Kenma and Hinata caught gazes and Hinata's hand locked on the other's hair. In that instant, they realized that the world seemed to be a lot closer than before. Both of them were in close proximity, and their faces were so very close. Breaths intermingled and flitted across cheeks. Hinata pulled away and blushed.

Hinata pursed his lips. "If... If I told you that I-"

"Shoyo," Kenma began softly, "you know better. You know better than to do that." He looked away, towards the sun. "Kageyama-kun... You shouldn't leave him."

"But what about you?" Hinata asked, rubbing his arms. Kenma turned his focus back to the other boy. Hinata leaned in. He wanted this—really, he did. But then Kenma's soft hands pushed Hinata away, and he knew how hurt the boy's face would become.

"I'm sorry," Kenma whispered. No other words were needed; Hinata understood. The both of them stood watching the other's face. Kenma, hesitantly, wrapped his arms around Hinata and pulled him closer. They listened to the rustling of leaves and watched the sunset, embracing the other in bittersweet love.

* * *

"Shoyo," Kenma called. Hinata stopped only a ways before Kenma's house. Hinata had decided upon close consideration to walk Kenma home, and Kenma complied after the other continually bugged him about it. It was a nice walk to the house. Hinata talked enthusiastically about work and Kenma would quietly respond if Hinata looked at him for a reply. Finally, they reached their destination, and it was time for Hinata and Kenma to part ways.

"What?" Hinata asked.

Without warning, Kenma leaned in and pecked him in the crook beside his nose, below Hinata's eye. Kenma pulled away, blushing profusely and covering his face with his hands. Hinata felt a stifling warmth in his cheeks and almost tried to rub it away with his palms, but he let his fingers loosely brush the spot where Kenma had kissed him. The younger boy chuckled out of embarrassment and Kenma's endearing shyness. Hinata pulled Kenma's hands away to examine the reddened face. Kenma's pink lips pulled tight in a slight pout and his eyes averted from Hinata's gaze. Hinata lifted his head to press his lips between Kenma's brows. Kenma visibly reddened even more from this and had half a mind to push Hinata away, but he didn't. He let Hinata press his forehead against his, and they both stared at each other's eyes before realizing their prior intentions. Kenma pulled back slowly and waved good-bye before walking to his house. Hinata lifted a hand to wave back and didn't walk away before Kenma entered his house. His arm fell to his side and he continued to stand there, as if waiting for Kenma to walk back, smiling, towards his boyfriend.

And then Hinata held back a single breath. Then he exhaled, because no one really knew how this ended, or if it even did.

* * *

The first-year flopped onto his bed and sighed. Hinata whispered the name under his breath, dragging out the syllables to bathe in the reality he made himself.

 _Kenma. Kenma. Kenma._

It was only a name, yet it held so much significance. And if only he never met him, these feelings wouldn't plague him to this day. Yet... Yet, there is no way he would ever feel or say that he had regret over meeting this boy. What was this feeling? Love? Lust? Obsession? Or is it the feeling of possession, afraid to let go of something previously owned, cared for?

Hinata gripped the sheets of his bed as if it was a lifeline, or more sensibly, as if it was Kenma. And a question fell onto him like a wave of water crashing down on a small child's sand castle at a beach.

What are you so afraid of?

You love _him._

* * *

"Here." Iwaizumi threw a small strawberry candy towards Oikawa. The other caught it with ease and looked at him strangely.

"You were acting weird," Iwaizumi continued, not looking at him. "You need to get your act together if you want to start a relationship with him."

Oikawa's mouth opened out of surprise. "Eh? Iwa-chan, you knew?"

"Of course I do! I'm not an idiot."

Oikawa smiled and chuckled. "Of course you do." He juggled the candy in his hands as he walked home with Iwaizumi, not thinking about Sugawara Koushi and his gentleness and kindness, but his best friend named Iwaizumi Hajime who cares for a crazy and energetic friend. Oikawa would never question this friendship, and he would never purposely hurt Iwaizumi. Because if this thing with Sugawara never works out, at least he has Iwaizumi's shoulder to cry on.

The teen unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth before starting a conversation about aliens.

"Aliens don't exist, idiot."

"They do, too!"

* * *

 **AN: It's raining cookies and ice cream! I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **What exactly happened to Kenma and Hinata? Will Oikawa ever get over his unrequited love? WILL IWAIZUMI EVER REALIZE THAT ALIENS EXIST? What will happen to the other couples? Maybe I'll explain next time: Pork Bowls**


End file.
